Can opener



I6, 1938. v J ZIMMER 2,127,373

. CAN OPENER Filed Aug. 20, 1956 Fig.1.

Inventor I MyronJZimm r Attorney Patented Aug. 16, 1938 PATENT OFFICECAN OPENER Myron J. Zimmer, Chicago, Ill., assignor to The EdwardKatzinger Company, Chicago, 111., a

- corporation of Illinois Application August 20,

3 Claims.

This invention relates to can openers and has for its object a device ofthis character which will firmly grip and hold the can and cause the canto rotate relatively to the opener simul-' taneously severing the headfrom the side wall of the can and turning any out material re-' mainingattached to the side wall flush against the inner face thereof.

Among its other objects the present can opener contemplates a simple andefficient means for puncturing the can head prior to the cutting thereofhaving no connection with the elements of the opener moving the canrelatively to the shear or cutting blade of the opener.

With the above and other objects in view, as will be apparent, thisinvention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement ofparts, all as hereinafter more fully described, claimed and illustratedin the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a can opener constructed in accordancewith the present invention:

Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof; and

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the opener taken oppositely to Fig- 1,showing the elements of the can opener in operative position to severthe head from the side wall of the can and in, dotted lines illustratingthepposition of the shear or cutting blade and its handle prior to theengagement of a can.

I-Ieretofore, there have been many types of can openers incorporating ashear blade to sever the head of the can from the side wall thereof andto bend the reslduary part of the head remaining attached to the sidewall of the can inwardly and downwardly to rest flush against the innerface of said side wall. These prior can openers have usually involvedmoving parts which first operate to puncture the can head adjacent therim thereof and the continued operation thereof cevers or cuts the headfrom the can wall and simultaneously bends downwardly and inwardly theresiduary part of the can head remaining attached to said side wall.Considerable power has been required to initially puncture the can headand in many of the prior openers constant pressure on the blade has beenrequired to hold the blade in position during the puncturing operation.I

The present can opener contemplates a relatively simple constructionwhich may be readily attached. to the can and the can head punctured byonehand and requires no pressure to hold the blade in place while thetraction wheel is 1936, Serial No. 96,989 (01. 30 15).

turned. When the can head is punctured a mere holding action is requiredby the operator while thekey or handle is turned to rotate the canrelatively to the opener and against the blade. In other words, thepuncturing of the can head is done merely by a slight gripping actionwith one hand of the operator after which the severing ofthe head fromthe wall of the can is accomplished by turning a key or handle whichoperates a rotary traction wheel causing the can to move relatively tothe blade.

Reference being had more particularly to the drawing, IE! designates aframe piece having a handle II at one end thereof. The opposite end ofthe frame piece is pierced transversely bya rotary shaft l2 upon one endof which is secured or keyed a knurled traction wheel [3 and on theopposite end of which is fixed a laterallydisposed key or handle H! bywhich the shaft l2 and the traction wheel I3 may be rotated. It will beobserved from Fig. 2 that the traction wheel I3 rotates substantiallyflush against one face of the frame piece In and that the base M or thekey or handle 14 operates flush against the opposite face of said framepiece.

The upper edge of the frame piece Ill is cut awayto create a shoulder l5adjacent the outer or free end of the frame piece, which shoulder mayact as a stop for the shear blade, as will be hereinafter more fullydescribed. The inner end of the cut away upper edge of the frame pieceII] is curved inwardly or downwardly, as at Hi, to provide for thepivotal action of the blade carrying member or plate, as will behereinafter more fully described. The inwardly curved edge portion l6 ofthe frame piece Ill, terminates in a shoulder ll disposed at an angle tothe curved edge l6 and to cut away edge and extending outwardly to apoint substantially in alignment longitudinally of the frame piece It]with the outer extremity of the shoulder A pivot l8 pierces the framepiece Ill near that edge of the latter opposed to the shoulders l5 andH. On this pivot pin I8 is pivotally mounted a cutter plate I9 adaptedto be moved on said pin in a plane substantially parallel to and flushagainst that face of the frame piece It] opposed to the traction wheell3.

That edge of the plate l9 adjoining the shaft 12 is curved outwardly, asat 20, toward the end of the frame piece to pass about the'base [4 ofthe key or handle l4 operating against the face of theirame pieceIllthereby creating an extension 2i: Theupperedgeof the plate. l 9 isprovided with a laterally disposed flange 22 (Fig. 2) which spans theadjoining or cut away edge of the frame piece I and the extension 2| isa continuation thereof. The flange 22 and extension 2| are provided witha downwardly extending shear blade 23 positioned in a plane parallel tothe outer face of the knurled traction wheel l3 and is spaced somewhatoutwardly from the plane of the outer face of said traction wheel. Thisshear blade 23 is provided with a relatively sharp puncturing point 24in approximate alignment with the outer extremity of the extension 2| ofthe plate [9 and the edges of the blades diverge from said puncturingpoint 24. That is upon one side of the point 24 the edge of the blade 23slopes upwardly toward the extremity of the extension 2| of the platel9, while on the opposite side of the puncturing point 24 the edge ofthe blade slopes upwardly toward the flange 22 and is beveled, as at 25,to create a cutting edge.

At a point somewhat remote from the inner extremity of the blade 23 theflange 22 is provided with a downwardly extending guide finger 26 whichprojects over and bears against that face of the frame piece whichcoacts with the blade 23 and traction wheel I3. In other words, theguide finger 26 operates over and substantially against the face of theframe piece l0 against which the traction wheel l3 operates while theblade 23 is spaced from that face of the frame piece I0 by the flange 22and is positioned beyond the outer face of the traction wheel I3.

The edge of the plate l9 opposed to the blade 23 is provided with alongitudinally projecting handle ear 21. A handle 28 consisting of ametallic sheet, concavo-convex in cross-section, is fastened to thehandle ear 2! of the plate l9 by bending the edges 29 of the innerextremity of the handle to rest in substantially parallel positions andupon each side of the finger or ear 21. The rivets 30 pierce the innerextremities '29 of the handle 28 and so secure them to the plate l9 andthe handle ear 2'! thereof, that the handle to all intents and purposesbecomes an integral part of the plate I9.

In operation the handle 28 is manipulated to assume the position shownin dotted lines in Fig. 3 whereupon the blade 23 and flange 22 areelevated from the adjoining edge of the frame piece I0 by the movementof the plate l9 under the influence of the handle 28. This movement ofthe plate l9 causes the flange 22 thereof to generally follow the curvededge I 6 of the frame piece I0 until the extremity of the flangecontacts with the shoulder ll of the frame piece, whereupon the movementof the plate l9 and handle 28 is arrested. With the elements in thisposition the edge of the traction wheel I3 is placed under the bead atthe end of the wall of the can which joins the can head to the wall,after which the handle 28 is moved toward the handle ll until it issubstantially parallel thereto. This movement swings the plate l9 aboutthe pivot l8 and brings the point 24 of the blade 23 into contact withthe head of the can adjoining the bead so that the application ofpressure to the handle 28 will cause the point 24 of the plate topuncture the can head and bring the edge 23 of the blade into operativeposition. Both the handles H and 28 are then engaged by one hand of theoperator who rotates the key or handle l4 with the other hand. Thisrotates the traction wheel l3 and causes the edge 25 of the blade 23 toshear the head from the side wall of the can. As this is being done, theblade 23 causes the residuary portion of the head still attached to theside wall of the can to be bent downwardly and rest flush against theinner face of the side wall of the can. When the head has beencompletely removed from the side wall of the can the handle 28 may againbe moved to the dotted line position in Fig. 3 whereupon the can isreleased from engagement with the opener.

At all times the blade 23 operates on and through the head of the canupon one side of the wall of the can, while the traction wheel I3operates under the bead of the can and upon the opposite side of thewall thereof to the blade 23. As a result, the outer face of the flange26 presents an edge or surface against which an external lateral portionof the can bead in leading relation to the portion thereof engaged bythe traction wheel l3 may bear during the cutting operation.

What is claimed is:

1. In a can opener, the combination with a relatively flat frame piece,of a shaft mounted for rotation adjoining one end of said frame piece, aknurled traction wheel fixed to one end of said shaft and restingflatwise against the inner face of said frame piece, a key fixed to theopposite end of the shaft for rotation thereof, a plate pivotallymounted on the frame piece and resting flat wise against the outer faceof said frame piece, a flange projecting laterally from the plate andhaving a leading portion and a trailing portion overhanging the innerface of the frame piece and overhanging a plane tangent to the uppercircumferential limits of the traction wheel and also parallel to thelongitudinal axis of the frame piece, said trailing portion providing ashear blade occupying a plane parallel with the faces of said tractionwheel and offset outwardly from the outer face of the leading portion.

2. In a can opener, the combination with a relatively fiat frame piece,of a shaft mounted for rotation in the outer end of said frame piece, aknurled traction Wheel fixed to one end of said shaft and restingflatwise against the inner face of said frame piece, a key fixed to theopposite end of the shaft for rotation thereof, a pair of spaced stopson one edge of said frame piece, the edge of said frame piece beingcurved inwardly between said stops, a plate pivotally mounted on theframe piece and resting flatwise against the outer face of said framepiece, a flange projecting laterally from the plate and having a leadingportion and a trailing portion, said portions overhanging the inner faceof the frame piece and overhanging a plane tangent to the uppercircumferential limits of the traction wheel and parallel to thelongitudinal axis of the frame piece, and said portions being movablebetween the stops aforesaid, said trailing portion providing a shearblade parallel to the face of the traction wheel and said leadingportion providing a bearing in a plane intermediate the inner face ofthe frame piece and the face of the trailing portion.

3. In a can opener, the combination with a relatively flat frame piece,of a shaft mounted for rotation adjoining one end of said frame piece, acan bead engaging traction wheel fixed to one end of said shaft andresting flatwise against the inner face of said frame piece, a key fixedto the opposite end of the shaft for rotation thereof, a plate pivotallymounted on the frame piece and resting flatwise against the face of theframe piece opposed to the fact thereof adjoining the can bead inleading relation to the portion thereof engaged by the traction wheelmay bear comprising a portion of said flange adapted to overhang theinner face of the frame piece in forward relation to the portion thereofoverlying the head 5 engaging edge of the traction wheel.

MYRON J. ZIMMER.

